“Yeah, I never believed in the whole love-at-first-sight thing, not naturally anyway, but as soon as I looked into those gorgeous green eyes…”
“You know you could lose your wings.”
Todd shrugged. “I know, but somehow, that doesn’t even matter anymore.”
“It will when you’re mortal and start to age.”
Todd hung his head and groaned. “Ugh, I forgot about the whole mortal-versus-god thing.”
“Is there anything you can do? Maybe a loophole?” Tabby asked, tapping her nails against the table, deep in thought.
“Who am I kidding?” Todd groaned again. “All this heartache may be for nothing. She might not even feel the same way.”
Tabby raised her eyebrows at her immortal friend. “Did you see the way she looked at you? She hasn’t been on a date in eons, and then just to accept you asking her out, just like that,” she paused to snap her fingers to emphasize her point, “is not Tara. Trust me, she feels the same way you do. The only problem is going to be who and what you are.” She laughed out loud. “I would love to be a fly on the wall when you explain that supernatural beings truly do exist.”
“What do you mean?”
“She doesn’t believe in any of that mumbo jumbo, as she calls it. If you can’t see it, it can’t be,” Tabby said, doing her best to mimic Tara’s voice.
“Oh boy, then this should be loads of fun.” Todd groaned, burying his head in his hands once again.
Two Weeks Later
Tara hummed to herself as she put up the decorations for the Easter Hop that would be taking place this weekend. For once, she was actually excited about the hop. She didn’t even crinkle her nose at the icky-sweet couples who walked through the park in front of the library anymore. She laughed when she realized that she and Todd were one of those icky-sweet couples; they had taken a stroll through that very same park after going out to dinner last night.
After glancing out the window and spotting the birdbath, a frown marred her face, causing her to nervously tighten the ponytail holder that held back her unruly red hair. She thought back to what had happened in the park last night. Todd and Tabby had been acting strangely at dinner. She wasn’t the only one who had noticed it. Tabby’s date had noticed it as well, to the point where he had begged off the walk and gone home. Tara had asked them a number of times what the problem was, but they had both laughed it off, told her she was being silly, and changed the subject.
It was while they had been walking through the park that she had known for a fact she was right and something was wrong. They had just rounded the bird bath in the square when a dark-haired man raced up to them, grabbed Tabby and Todd by the arms, and led them over to the other side of the fountain.
Wandering around the fountain, Tara had watched from a distance. They all had seemed to be arguing about something. When confronting them later, Todd had promised that he would explain everything tonight at dinner with just him, her, and Tabby.
Checking her watch, she realized that she had twenty minutes until the library closed. She was determined to get to the bottom of what had happened last night with her boyfriend and her best friend.
Todd paced the floor of Tabby’s spacious kitchen, worried that something was going to go wrong. He couldn’t lose Tara, but the word coming from the boss last night was that if he kept putting off telling her what he was, they would clip his wings and make him mortal, which would lead to death pretty quickly.
“Stop pacing. You’re wearing a hole in my kitchen tiles,” Tabby said, setting a steaming mug of coffee in front of him. “There. Like you need it with as jumpy as you already are.”
“What if she runs? What if she doesn’t want to be with an immortal?” He snatched up his mug of coffee and chugged it, handing it back to her. “Hell, she doesn’t even believe things like us exist,” he roared, pointing between the two of them.
“Hey! I am not a thing. A witch is not a thing,” She walked around the counter and put her hands on his shoulders, turning him to face her. “I know her. It may take some time, but once she gets over her disbelief, she’ll be fine with it.”
“That’s just it. We don’t have time. They’re giving me until Easter, and then all bets are off.”
“That’s not what they said when we went to talk to them. They said since she wasn’t technically your charge, they would overlook it and allow the two of you to be together and you would still be able to keep your wings.”
“Yeah, well they’re the bosses, and they changed their minds,” he said bitterly.
Tabby chewed on her bottom lip. “Well, then we’re just going to have to make her believe us.”
“How do you suppose we do that? You know I can’t show her my true form. It’s forbidden.”
“Leave that to me,” Tabby said, a slight smile on her face. “She just needs to know that magic exists, not exactly have proof that you’re Cupid.”
“She’s here,” Todd called out, peering out the kitchen window as Tara’s headlights shined across the driveway.
“Hold your horses. I’m coming.” She walked out of the bedroom in the robes she used when she was doing spellwork.
“What are you going to do? Cast a spell on her and make her believe us?” He scoffed and rushed to the door to open it before Tara could knock.
4
“Where’s the fire?” Tara asked as Todd ushered her into the kitchen, bypassing Tabby on the way. She turned her head to look at the getup her friend was in. “It is Easter, you know, not Halloween.”
Tabby sighed, closing her eyes and praying for patience with her best friend. “It’s called a witch’s robe, and I wear it to cast spells.”
Tara pulled away from Todd and touched her friend’s forehead. “You’re not warm, so I must have heard you wrong. You do know that witches are make-believe, right? We have discussed this over the years.”
Tabby pushed her hand away, rolling her eyes and sighing.
“This is going to be harder than I thought,” Todd said, sinking onto the couch in defeat.
“What’s going to be hard?” Tara asked, putting her hands on her hips. “Someone better tell me what’s going on right now!”
Tabby closed her eyes again, praying to the Goddess for patience. “Okay, here goes. Todd is Cupid, and I’m a witch.” Holding up her hand at the wide-eyed look on Tara’s face, she explained everything.
After she was finished, Tara turned to look at the man she had thought she knew. “Cupid, really? Don’t they…like…you know…”
“No, I don’t wear a diaper, and I don’t fly through the air, but I am Cupid, and I do help people fall in love.”
“So, you shot an arrow at me to make me fall for you?”
“No, not at all. It was an accident and all natural. All natural for us to be in love.” Todd got to his feet and crossed the room to take her into his arms, but she pushed him away.
“I think you’re both insane. Either that or you’re just playing with me to stop me from asking what was going on last night.” Tabby attempted to put a hand on her friend’s shoulders, but Tara pushed her hand away. “You of all people know how I feel about this supernatural mumbo jumbo. I don’t believe in it at all.” She stopped, eyes widening once again when Tabby shut her eyes and started mumbling to herself. The chair on the other side of the room moved about three feet across the room, and the lights started flickering all over the house.
She shook her head at the two of them. “You can have this. True or not, I want no part of it. We’re done!” she yelled, then turned and ran from the house before either of them could stop her. Her tires squealed as they tried to catch traction on the street in front of the house, the only sound that remained in the sudden silence.
Easter Night
It had only been three days since Tara had found out there was magick in the world, and she was still having a hard time coming to terms with it. She had run out of Tabby’s house and never looked back, and neither of the two had tried to contact her. She ha
d, as usual, thrown herself into her work, and the library looked amazing tonight.
There were fake bunnies and spring flowers on tables and scattered in the corners. Her boss had even added a few pairs of lovebirds to signify that love was in the air. She scoffed at the thought—now more than ever—that love could be real but then wondered why her heart felt so leaden without Todd in it.
She forced herself to remember that the man she knew wasn’t even human and that he had lied to her from day one. With tears in her eyes, she set up the last of the refreshments for the dance and opened the windows to let in the gentle spring breeze as the guests started to arrive. Then she set up the Easter baskets that the children would be given when they left at the end of the night.
Smiling and making idle chitchat with the guests was one of the hardest things she had done in her life. All she wanted was for the hop to be over so that she could go back home and bury her head under the blankets on her bed for the rest of the weekend—maybe the rest of her life.
“Stop being a sissy,” she muttered to herself.
“Talking to yourself is a sign that you’re crazy,” Tabby said, walking up to her and standing with her arms crossed as if daring her to tell her to go away.
“Why are you here?”
“It’s a Bunny Hop, so I’m here to hop,” Tabby said doing a little sidestep and then hopping closer to her. “You’re being stupid and stubborn. You know that, right?”
“Am I? This coming from the woman who has been keeping the biggest secret in history from her best friend for years.”
Tabby pinched the bridge of her nose. “Look, you were totally against anything supernatural, and I was scared you would stop being my friend. I didn’t tell you to go and fall in love with an immortal being, but you did.”
Tara shrugged. The real reason she hadn’t bothered to contact Todd was finally coming out. “Well, it’s not like he cares. He didn’t follow me. He hasn’t called. He doesn’t care. I was just a dalliance for him, and now he’s back to wearing diapers and shooting arrows into the butts of unsuspecting people.” Her voice broke, and she angrily wiped tears from her eyes.
Tabby laughed. “That was a good one,” she said, which earned her a go-to-hell look from Tara. “Seriously, Tara?” She was beyond frustrated with her friend. “If the man doesn’t care about you, then why is he so miserable? He gave his wings up today.”
“He did what?” Tara exclaimed, shock on her face. “But you said that without his wings he won’t be immortal anymore. He would start to age and die.”
“He said he had nothing to live for without you and asked them to take his wings. They will at midnight tonight, once Easter is over. So much for spring love, huh?” Tabby said bitterly, then turned to walk away.
“Where is he?” Tara asked, grabbing Tabby’s arm to stop her. She wouldn’t let him die for her. She would just have to get used to him being immortal. She loved him after all. She just hadn’t realized how much until she was about to lose him.
“In the corner, moping.” Tabby nodded her head to the corner behind the stacks, then disappeared onto the dance floor with one of the eligible bachelors that had just asked her to dance.
Taking a deep breath, Tara glanced around to room to make sure everyone was okay, then went to talk to Todd. He looked horrible. His light blue eyes were rimmed in red, and his gorgeous curly hair lay limp against his skull. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. She could relate—neither had she. “I hear you told them to take your wings,” she whispered when she got close enough to him that no one else would hear.
“Why not?” He shrugged, looking at the wall instead of at her.
“Look at me,” she said, forcing him to turn his head by grabbing his chin. “I don’t want you to age and die. You have too much to live for.”
He laughed bitterly. “What? To make other people fall in love? How can I do that when I can’t even manage to hold on to the woman I love?”
“But you can,” she whispered, reaching up to kiss him gently on the lips. “I’ll accept what you are because I love you. I’ve been miserable these last few days.”
“I love you too, and I promise our lives will be great together,” he whispered back, taking her into his arms and holding her tightly.
She pulled back just a little to look into his eyes. “Promise me you didn’t shoot me with a love arrow to make this happen.”
“Trust me, baby, this is all natural, all us.” He reached down to kiss her again. “No arrows needed.”
* * *
The End
About the Author
Skylar McKinzie lives in the small town of Screven, Ga. When she’s not writing, she’s cooking, baking, reading, and spending time with her family. She also loves long walks and sitting by the bonfire in October, which is her favorite month of the year. She writes horror and paranormal romance. She is working on her next novel due to be released by the end of the year.
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Of Opals and Dragons’ Eggs
Amanda Ruehle
Prologue
Probable Ends
“Please, take a seat, Mr. Harrison.”
I pull out the only chair on my side of the table and plop my butt down into it. I manage— mostly— to continue looking dignified while doing so. It’s hard not to be at least a teensy bit intimidated by the five serious and important-looking faces staring at me from the other side.
“Your application says you have a bachelor’s degree in history, but you want to pursue a master’s in geology. Why study such disparate fields?”
I shift a little in my seat and sit up straighter. I knew this question was likely to pop up during the interview, so I’ve thought a long time about my answer. “While history and geology are completely different at first glance,” I say, “I don’t believe they are as far apart as they seem. I’ve been fascinated by the past for as long as I can remember. And not only the events that shaped the course of human history and led to where we are today— which I studied in my undergraduate courses— but also the sometimes cataclysmic events that occurred in the earth’s natural history— which I hope to study in your graduate program.”
They seem satisfied with this answer. A couple of them nod their heads in understanding, and one even smiles. Score one for the home team. The interview continues on from there, going over such familiar and expected topics as my grades, my memberships in school clubs and honor societies, participation in extracurricular activities and community events, and on and on.
I’m thinking I’ve got this whole thing in the bag— and that the future I’ve got mapped out in my head is just around the corner— when they hit me with one last doozy. A question that brings about a gut-clenching nausea to a generally secretive introvert like me.
“So, Mr. Harrison, why don’t you tell us a story about yourself? Something that doesn’t have to do with your schooling. A story that lets us know why you’d be a good fit here in our program.”
Well, shit. There go my hopes for keeping my personal life firmly tucked away from the prying of five virtual strangers. There’s no help for it— either I share something, or my aspirations for attending this particular bastion of higher education are toast.
Come on, Grant. You have to say something!
And then I decide what I’m going to reveal to them. For some inexplicable, irresistible reason, I’m going to tell them about Lily. I’ve never shared the whole story with anyone— not even my family— and I can only imagine that I will never share it again. But today— today is when it all comes out.
“Have you ever heard about the Resurrection Day Cult or the Rose Street Fire?” I ask. I want to stop. Oh, Lord, do
I ever. But I can’t. It’s like watching a disaster unfold in slow-motion. I can see everything. I have foreknowledge of how it all ends. But I’m powerless to do anything but watch as it unfolds. That question set it all in motion, and now all I can do it ride this thing out and hope I don’t tear my dreams and ambitions to shreds before it’s all over.
They shake their heads in a negative. “It was all over the news a few years back,” I continue. “I’m sure you can find it if you search on the internet really quick.”
I’m stalling, and I know it. We stare at each other for a few moments before I finally relent. “Never mind. Don’t bother looking it up. The police were told the facts concerning the events surrounding that day and didn’t believe them. The journalists who covered the story either never heard the truth or dismissed it when they did. And as a result, an entire church congregation ended up under suspicion of ingesting hallucinogenic substances, and one was arrested and investigated for arson.”
Lily, look at where you’ve brought me, I think with a sigh. This better be worth it. I take a deep breath and forge onward. “But I was there. I know what happened.” I look directly at the five across from me. I have the undivided attention of every single one of them. There won’t be any pretending later that they might not have heard all of the crazy spewing out of my mouth.
“If you listen to me— and believe me— you’ll be some of the few who know the absolute, unvarnished truth of what happened at that peaceful little church on Rose Street four years ago.”
1
G. H. Harrison
So, where should I start? My name would be a good place, I guess. I am Grant Henry Harrison. My father’s family is distantly related to both the ninth and twenty-third Presidents of the United States— a fact of which they are most proud. To honor this distinguished heritage, my parents decided that my given name should also be taken from one of the Chief Executives, and so they chose number eighteen: Ulysses S. Grant. My younger brother Pierce is named after number fourteen. I can only be glad that there weren’t any other siblings added into the mix, as I’ve always had a dreadful feeling that my parents would next choose a name no child should be saddled with, such as Fillmore (number thirteen) or Bush (number forty-one or forty-three— take your pick).
A Paranormal Easter: 14 Paranormal & Fantasy Romance Novellas Page 43
